Police remove activists blocking way to stadium

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Stephanie Dickrell, sdickrell@stcloudtimes.com

Police in Minneapolis are removing protesters who locked themselves across a light-rail line near U.S. Bank Stadium, temporarily halting trains carrying fans to the game.

Live footage from the scene Sunday showed police working to unlock or cut locks the protesters had used at the stop near the University of Minnesota's West Bank station. That's about a half-mile from the stadium.

The live footage showed protesters in zip ties waiting to board a bus to be carried from the scene.

Protesters blocked the line shortly after 2 p.m., saying they were protesting police brutality as well as the light-rail line being turned over to Super Bowl fans for the day.

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Activists protesting police brutality chained themselves along a light-rail line carrying ticketholders to the Super Bowl on Sunday, halting trains in both directions.

Metro Transit's Green Line was shut down a little after 2 p.m., about three hours before kickoff, by a group of about 30 activists at the Stadium Village station. Transit spokesman Howie Padilla said the agency had a contingency plan to get ticketholders to the game on time.

Chinyere Tutashinda, a spokeswoman for the activists, said they were also protesting authorities' decision to dedicate the city's two light-rail lines to Super Bowl ticketholders on Sunday. Non-ticketholders had to use buses instead.

Black Lives Matter and several other groups planned two separate events and a march Sunday afternoon. About 300 people had gathered at a park a couple of miles south of U.S. Bank Stadium, and planned a march that would have them arrive at the stadium near 5 p.m.